大慧普覺禪師語錄 1
English (machine translation) 1
- Language
- English
1.1
Memorial Presenting the Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Dahui
1.2
The monk Yunwen, your subject, humbly considers that although the Way of the buddhas and patriarchs is not something that words and letters can reach, its proclamation and dissemination inevitably rely on something before becoming clear. It is like pointing at the moon with a finger: the finger and the moon originally have no connection, yet by knowing what the finger points to, one knows where the moon is. For this reason, the vast teachings of the Canon serve as the standard for the world, relied upon down to the present day. Your subject, a humble and lowly dweller of the mountain wilds, has encountered your sagacious brilliance and repeatedly been blessed to gaze upon your pure countenance and receive your imperial instructions. The sagely words are high and far-reaching, beyond the reach of ordinary men; fortunately, this Way awaits [such an era] to flourish. Humbly rejoicing in this rare encounter, I dare to present my sincere and earnest petition. Your subject humbly reflects that my late teacher, the former abbot of Jingshan, Chan Master Dahui [Zonggao], was quick of understanding and extraordinarily gifted, directly receiving the orthodox transmission, using skillful means to enlighten later students. As for the essential sayings he promoted and expounded in daily life, your subject recorded them wherever he went, and they have all been made into books: already compiled as an extensive record in thirty fascicles, and also as a recorded sayings in ten fascicles. Having reverently transcribed them, I have approached the imperial palace to present them, humbly hoping that in the leisure of attending to myriad affairs of state, your Majesty will deign to examine them. Your subject also humbly observes that during the Jingde era of Emperor Zhenzong, the Record of the Transmission of the Lamp compiled by the monk Daoyuan was decreed to enter the Canon. Now, regarding the ten fascicles of my late teacher's recorded sayings presented by your subject, I would request that, in your imperial compassion, according to the aforementioned precedent, you specially bestow a directive also commanding their entry into the Canon to broaden their circulation, so that later students may all be able to hear them, and my late teacher will be rendered ever more immortal. Your subject is filled with boundless trembling and awe as he awaits the imperial decree, taking his leave to await instructions. Qiandao 7th year [1171], 3rd month, [ ] day. Memorial submitted by the monk Yunwen, Chan Master Huiri, abbot of Nengren Chan Monastery on Jingshan, your subject.
1.3
This monastery, Dongchan Bao'en Guangxiao Chan Monastery in Fuzhou, has received an official dispatch from the Prefectural Governor and Pacification Commissioner, the Grand Academician [Guanwen], fully citing an imperial rescript granting ten volumes of the recorded sayings of Chan Master Dahui and commanding that they be placed among the Great Canons of famous mountains to perpetuate their transmission forever. The monk Deqian, abbot and subject, has reverently carved them onto printing blocks, amounting to thirty fascicles, and entered them into the Vairocana Great Canon to broaden their circulation. Using this merit, he respectfully prays for boundless longevity for the reigning Emperor, looking up in prayer that the imperial realm be consolidated, the phoenix calendar be ever renewed, the sun of the Buddha increase in brilliance, and the wheel of the Dharma turn constantly. Qiandao 8th year [1172], 1st month, [ ] day. Reverently inscribed by the monk Deqian, abbot and subject.
1.4
Respectfully presented by your subject Yunwen, Dharma-heir, Chan Master Huiri, and abbot of Nengren Chan Monastery on Jingshan.
1.5
On the twenty-first day of the seventh month in the seventh year of the Shaoxing era, at the opening of the hall at Mingqing Monastery in Lin'an Prefecture, the Master presented the statement, showing it to the assembly, saying: "The Lord Regent has entered the samādhi of skilled knowledge of all arts, radiating vast brilliance from the tip of his brush, and without moving his tongue has finished expounding the forty-two gates of the prajñāpāramitā. Do you still have complete faith in this? If your faith is not complete, let us ask the rector to take it up again and present it anew, so that those who have not heard may hear, and those who do not believe may believe." When the reading of the statement was finished, he pointed to the dharma seat and addressed the great assembly, saying: "Do you see? It cuts off the path of the ancient buddhas, and thousands of demons and hundreds of freaks scurry into hiding. Even the King of Sumeru-Lamp must swiftly make three prostrations." He gave a shout, ascended the high seat, and offered incense, saying: "This stick of incense respectfully honors the Supreme One of the Northern Palace, praying on high for ten thousand years of longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountains." Next he offered incense, saying: "This stick of incense is offered for the Lord Regent Grand Chancellor and the civil and military officials, that they may long abide in their official emoluments." Again he offered incense, saying: "As for this stick of incense, if you look straight at it, your eyes will wither; if you smell it, your skull will split. When it meets nobility, its price outweighs the Sahā world; when it meets the base, it is not worth a single penny. Today, before this assembly of humans and devas, I burn it in the brazier to offer it to the late Grand Venerable Chan Master Yuanwu of Zhaojue Chan Monastery in Chengdu Prefecture, so as to repay the debt of the milk of the Dharma." He then took his seat. The head monk struck the gavel and said: "Assembly of nāga-elephants at the Dharma banquet, you should contemplate the paramārtha." The Master said: "An ancient precedent across all quarters, a constant ritual past and present: even if a thousand Buddha World-Honoured Ones consecutively appeared in the world and ascended this seat, at the very end they could not do without this ladle of foul water. Is there anyone who can evade it? Come forth and bear witness!" At that time a monk came forward and was just bowing when the Master said: "Frost on top of snow." Next a monk stepped forward and immediately asked: "Humans and devas are gathered everywhere, the arena for selecting buddhas is opened; when the ancestral directive meets the opportune moment, how does one present and chant it?" The Master said: "A clumsy bird flies against the wind." The monk proceeded: "Throughout the entire realm there is nowhere to seek it, yet clearly a single speck is rounded upon the seat." The Master said: "In the world of mortals, no water does not flow eastward." The monk proceeded: "It can be called: in the three months of spring, fruits are ripe on the bodhi tree; in a single night, flowers blossom, and the world is fragrant." The Master said: "Bumping into it, colliding with it." The monk proceeded: "Profuse fragrances arise from the brazier; a gust of pure breeze is born above the seat." The Master said: "Idle words." The monk proceeded: "What can be done about the thousand branches of Shaoshi flowers just now flourishing, and the single stream of Caoxi source waters being ever clearer?" The Master held up his fly-whisk and said: "Which branch is this?" The monk proceeded: "A true connoisseur does not need repeated presentations; one who has reached it must secretly be startled." The Master said: "A sharp patch-robed monk." The monk asked: "One question and one answer betrays one's own spirit; citing the ancient and citing the present buries the former patriarchs. Leaving aside these two paths, what is right?" The Master said: "Divide your body into two places and look." The monk proceeded: "In the land of Tang, the two and the three together gather their robes; in the Western Heavens, the four and the seven also open their brows." The Master said: "Heaven has no private covering; Earth has no private bearing." The monk proceeded: "Questions and answers like this already involve merit and effort; please, Master, swiftly speak a phrase祝 to wish longevity upon the Emperor." The Master said: "Ever taking the sun and moon as heaven's eyes, pointing out Sumeru to serve as the mountain of longevity." The monk proceeded: "The altars of state, rivers, and mountains increase in noble spirit; throughout heaven and earth, grasses and trees are completely moistened by grace." The Master said: "A repetition of verse words." The monk proceeded: "Do you still permit the student to reveal another message, or not?" The Master said: "I do not permit it." The monk proceeded: "Then I invite the Venerable to speak." The Master said: "Since I do not permit it, what more is there to speak?" The monk proceeded: "I wish to apply the hand of Zhu Yun that broke the balustrade, to become the person like Fu Yue who brings down timely rain." The Master said: "Only this phrase was missing." Several more monks vied to come forward, but the Master checked them, saying: "Even if the grasses and trees of the great earth were entirely ground to dust, and each speck of dust had a mouth, and each mouth possessed the mark of an unobstructed, broad and long tongue, and each tongue emitted immeasurable distinct sounds, and each sound produced immeasurable distinct words, and each word contained immeasurable distinct wondrous meanings, and patch-robed monks as numerous as the aforesaid dust motes each possessed such mouths, such tongues, such sounds, such words, and such wondrous meanings, simultaneously raising hundreds of thousands of difficult questions, every single question being distinct, it would not require more than a single cough from this elder of Jingshan to answer them all at once. Taking advantage of the occasion, in the midst of it I would perform boundless, vast, and great Buddha-works, each Buddha-work permeating the dharmadhātu, what is called: 'A single hair manifests divine transformations; all buddhas preach the scriptures together; through immeasurable eons its limits cannot be reached.' Proceeding like this might indeed make the gate lively; but if viewed with the true eye, this is precisely the vast, boundless karmic consciousness with no basis to rely upon. In the house of the patriarchs, not a single bit of it can be used. How much more so the hooked phrases and thorny clauses, showing off the sharpness of words! Not only does it bury the ancestral school from antiquity, but it also causes patch-robed monks to burst their nostrils laughing. Therefore it is said: 'A hair's breadth of lingering thought is a karmic cause of the three destinies; a fleeting birth of emotion is a shackle for myriad eons. Sagely names and ordinary titles are entirely empty sounds; extraordinary forms and inferior shapes are all illusory matter. If you wish to seek them, will you not be burdened? And when you detest them, it becomes a great affliction again.' Look at how those ancients gave notice! Like weapons of the state, they are used only when there is no other choice; in the fundamental affair there is not even this message. This mountain monk's presenting and chanting like this today is very much like speaking of a dream when there was no dream, or gouging into healthy flesh to make a wound. Examining it closely, I ought to receive the staff. Right now, is there anyone who can strike with a poisonous hand? If there is, he is worthy of repaying the debt that cannot be repaid, together aiding the transformation of non-action; if there is not, I shall execute this decree in reverse." Suddenly grabbing his staff, he said: "Holding the Moxie crosswise, the true decree is executed completely; across the universe at peace, the foolish and stubborn are slain." He struck once with the staff, gave a shout, and said: (Words of thanks are omitted). He further cited: "One day, Attendant Gentleman Wang visited Linji, and together they went into the monks' hall. The Attendant Gentleman said: 'Does this hall full of monks read the sūtras?' Linji said: 'They do not read sūtras.' The Attendant Gentleman said: 'Do they practice Chan?' Linji said: 'They do not practice Chan.' The Attendant Gentleman said: 'If they do not read sūtras and do not practice Chan, what on earth do they do?' Linji said: 'I have them all become buddhas and patriarchs.' The Attendant Gentleman said: 'Though gold dust is precious, when it falls into the eye it causes a cataract; what about that?' Linji said: 'I thought you were a common fellow.'" The Master said: "Old fellow Linji wielded a vajra-king precious sword, his spirit piercing the universe, walking unchecked across the realm; yet when offhandedly pressed lightly by this official, he melted like ice and shattered like tiles. Tell me: what excellence did this official have? Listen to a verse: 'A rare matter in the world and beyond the world / To manifest it requires a person of extraordinary capacity; / Merely using hands that mend the imperial robes and season the broth, / He turns the Tathāgata's true wheel of Dharma.' For standing long, assembly of compassionate ones, I respectfully bid you take care." The head monk again struck the gavel and said: "Clearly observe the Dharma of the Dharma King; the Dharma of the Dharma King is like this."
1.6
Entering the monastery, he ascended the hall: "Before this mountain monk had left Quanzhou, I had already met with you all; in Lin'an Prefecture I also met with you all. When it came to arriving in the mountains, beating the Dharma drum, sitting and standing solemnly, staring face to face, eye to eye, why do we instead not recognize each other? Just because it is extremely clear, it conversely delays attainment."
1.7
That evening, in an informal gathering, he said: "The Great Way is right before the mouth, yet it is difficult to see before the eyes. If you wish to know the true essence of the Great Way, it is not separated from sounds, forms, and words." Raising his fly-whisk, he said: "This is form." Striking the meditation couch, he said: "This is sound. This mountain monk's mouth chattering away right now is words. What is the true essence of the Great Way?" He gave a shout and said: "This very seeing and hearing is not seeing and hearing; / No remaining sound or form can be presented to you. / If within this you realize there is nothing at all to do, / Essence and function pose no hindrance, whether divided or not. / If divided: when rain falls the ground is wet; when the sky clears the sun comes out; a short month has twenty-nine days, a long month has thirty days. If not divided: the vajra-deity and the earth god rub each other's backs, and with a single rub the bones come out." He continued: "An ancient said: 'Only the very last phrase reaches the iron gate; it blocks the essential crossing, letting neither ordinary nor sage pass.' What is the very last phrase?" After a long pause, he said: "For now, let us not speak of dreams." He slapped the meditation couch and stepped down from the seat.
1.8
He ascended the hall: "In the past, old grandfather Yangqi / Pulled the plow and dragged the harrow, showing off divine powers. / The children and grandchildren dragged through water and wallowed in mud so excessively / That the flatiron frying tea is not like the kettle."
1.9
Ascending the hall, he cited: "A monk asked Lishan, 'All colors return to emptiness; where does emptiness return?' Lishan said, 'The tongue does not leave the mouth.' The monk asked, 'Why is it like this?' Lishan said, 'Because internal and external are as one.'" The Master said: "Phenomena matching like box and lid, principle responding like arrowhead meeting arrowhead—it has to be Lishan to carry this off. If it were Jingshan, it would not be so. Were someone to ask, 'All colors return to emptiness; where does emptiness return?' Peony blossoms open as the faces of bodhisattvas; palm leaves scatter as the heads of yakṣas. Why is it like this? Just manage a committed heart, and you will certainly not be deceived."
1.10
Ascending the hall, he cited: "Nanquan said, 'Mazu of Jiangxi said, "Mind itself is buddha." Old Teacher Wang does not speak like that: it is not mind, it is not buddha, it is not a thing. Speaking like that, is there still any fault?' Zhaozhou bowed and walked out. At the time, a monk followed and asked Zhaozhou, 'The senior bowed and then walked out; what was the intention?' Zhaozhou said, 'You go ask the Venerable.' The monk went up and asked [Nanquan], 'Just now, what was Senior Shen's intention?' Nanquan said, 'He understood this old monk's purport.'" The Master said: "Although the two old fellows were good at wiggling their toes inside their boots, they little realized that to an onlooker it was unsightly."
1.11
On the grand memorial anniversary of the Venerable Yuanwu, offering incense and pointing at the portrait, he said: "This Sichuan rustic originally loved to stir up a crowd; wherever it was noisy he stuck his head in, loathing quiet and delighting in movement. The year before last on this day he first returned home; today, the year before last, the road has not diverged." Thereupon he looked around and indicated to the assembly, saying: "What is the road that has not diverged? Do you want to understand? Every time you drink water you choke; a flake of sandalwood incense, a bowl of tea." Then he burned the incense.
1.12
Ascending the hall, he picked up the staff, struck once, gave a shout, and said: "It was fine and pitiable as it was—why go out of one's way to strike wildly and shout recklessly?" Throwing it down, he said: "Set a fire in a cold place."
1.13
Ascending the hall: / "Today is the fifteenth day of the eighth month; / Who does not gaze at the moon rabbit in the sky? / Were it not for the Little Śākya of the Eastern Land, / This tiger of Changsha would have been let off."
1.14
Ascending the hall: "The Patriarch said: 'When the one mind does not arise, the myriad dharmas are without fault. Without fault, there are no dharmas; not arising, there is no mind. The subject follows the object into extinction; the object pursues the subject into subsidence. The object is an object because of the subject; the subject is a subject because of the object.' For a great and small patriarch, he actually held the views of a lecturer! Jingshan is not like that: eyes do not see themselves; knives do not cut themselves. Eating food relieves hunger; drinking water quenches thirst. Linji and Deshan were deliberately deluded and astray, wasting energy wielding blows and shouts. Take away the blows and discard the shouts—how can reckless fellows like Meng the Eighth be restrained?"
1.15
Ascending the hall, he cited: "When Subhūti was sitting peacefully in a rock cave, the gods rained down flowers in praise. The Venerable said, 'Who is raining down flowers in the sky in praise?' [A voice] said, 'I am Brahmā.' The Venerable said, 'Why do you praise me?' The god said, 'I revere the Venerable's skillful expounding of prajñā.' The Venerable said, 'Regarding prajñā, I have not expounded a single word; why do you say I expound it skillfully?'" The Master gave a shout and said: "If he had delivered this shout at that time, not only would it have stopped the mouth of Brahmā, but two thousand years later he would also have avoided Jingshan's critique. The god said, 'The Venerable has nothing expounded, and I have nothing heard; no expounding and no hearing is the true expounding of prajñā.'" The Master again gave a shout and said: "If he had delivered this shout at that time, not only would it have stopped the mouth of Subhūti, but two thousand years later he would also have avoided Jingshan's critique. But tell me: does Jingshan still have any place that invites critique?" He said himself: "What place is there to invite critique? I shouldn't have been so talkative."
1.16
Ascending the hall: / "At the bottom of the water, a mud ox chews raw iron; / Gavāmpati bites his own tongue. / The ocean god in anger brandishes a coral whip; / The pain of Mount Sumeru King is unceasing." / Striking the meditation bed, he stepped down from the seat.
1.17
Ascending the hall: / "Piercing open the blue sky, pines a thousand feet tall; / Cutting through the red dust, a stream of water. / Not recognizing the original true face, / One takes it to be people inscribing Deqiao's poem."
1.18
At the opening of the hall at Haihui Temple by invitation of Lin'an County, the Master held up the statement, showed it to the assembly, and said: "Before the patterns are manifest, the news has already been revealed; once the patterns are manifest, it is hard to conceal. Since it cannot be concealed, I must trouble the prolocutor to recite it clearly." After the statement was recited, the Master looked around at the assembly and said: "The Magistrate Scholar has already expounded the paramārtha truth for all of you. Is there anyone whose eyes are opened and whose mind is awakened? If there is, please disperse right now; if not, Jingshan will sit upon the curved-wood chair and speak idle nonsense." Thereupon he ascended the high seat, offered incense, and completed prayers for the Emperor. He then offered incense again, saying: "This one flake of incense—the buddhas do not know it, ghosts and spirits cannot fathom it; it was not born of heaven and earth, nor obtained from nature. The day before yesterday in the city I already presented it; today gods and humans gather universally, and the fourfold assembly has arrived in full. Fearing that among them there may be those who do not yet know its flavor, I cannot help but disclose it anew." He then burned it and took his seat. A monk asked: "The breeze of Yao blows eternally, bodhisattvas manifest in the bodies of government officials; the Buddha sun shines brightly on high, and Old Lu sings the melody of Shaolin. For the opening of the hall to pray for the Emperor, we wish to hear the essentials of the Dharma." The Master said: "Shaking heaven and moving earth." [The monk] advanced and said: "Relying on the Master's single drop of Caoxi water, let it become rain over the four seas to repay our Emperor." The Master said: "A single wild goose first returns; autumn covers the four seas." [The monk] advanced and said: "The golden wheel governs the three thousand realms; the jade calendar extends good fortune for millions of springs." The Master said: "Who would not wish so?" [The monk] asked: "Sansheng said, 'Whenever I meet someone, I immediately go out; going out, it is not for their sake.' What is the meaning?" The Master said: "Killing people without using a knife." [The monk] advanced and said: "Xinghua said, 'Whenever I meet someone, I do not go out; going out, it is immediately for their sake.' How about that?" The Master said: "To bring people to life, why need a sword?" [The monk] advanced and said: "Right at the moment of going out and not going out, how is it?" The Master said: "A padlock without a keyhole rattles at both ends." [The monk] advanced and said: "I go especially to circulate it." The Master said: "Jingshan suffered a loss today." He then said: "The utmost truth of the Buddha Dharma is not in questions and answers. Even if questions arise like clouds from Samantabhadra and answers pour like a pitcher from Samantabhadra, if one does not know the essential wonder, it only becomes playful banter—what benefit does it have for the Way? Speaking according to reality, it is all running outside in foolish madness. Therefore, the Greatly Awakened World-Honoured One appeared in the world for the sake of the one great cause, using all kinds of subtle and skillful means to bring sentient beings to completion, opening, demonstrating, awakening, and entering the insight of the Buddha. Rising from the Bodhi tree and going to the Deer Park, he first turned the wheel of the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths for Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya and the others; over forty-nine years at more than three hundred and sixty assemblies, he progressively expounded according to what suited the faculties of sentient beings, causing each of them to hear the Dharma, attain understanding, and escape birth and death. At the very end, on the verge of parinirvāṇa, before the gathering of hundreds of thousands of gods and humans, he held up a flower and showed it to all; only the golden-hued ascetic broke into a smile. Whereupon [the Buddha] said, 'I have the treasury of the true dharma eye, the wondrous mind of nirvāṇa, and I entrust it to you.' From this, the four-seven of the Western Heavens and the two-three of the Eastern Land, the old venerable ones throughout the world, each transmitted mind with mind in unbroken succession. If one does not know its essential wonder and single-mindedly drowns in views and runs after words, how could the treasury of the true dharma eye have been disseminated down to this day? Arriving here, one must be an extraordinary person of the Way who does not seek after the sages and does not esteem their own spirit, only then can one shoulder this great cause. And who is the extraordinary person of the Way? Do you not see that formerly Great Master Mazu of Jiangxi sent Xitang Zhizang to deliver a letter to Chan Master Guoyi of Jingshan? Guoyi broke the seal and saw a circle; thereupon he asked for a brush and, facing Zhizang, put a dot inside the circle. Zhizang was at a loss. Is this not news outside the pattern? If you treat it as consideration outside the pattern, again it is not. How will all of you discern it? How do you make use of it at all times? Just now, in the statement of the Magistrate Scholar, it was said: 'Master Ma's circle sealed from afar a thousand leagues of pure rules; Old Qin's sharp dynamic dotted through and broke a moment of collective delusions.' Since collective delusions are broken, the great matter under everyone's feet is clearly illuminated. Since the great matter is clearly illuminated, then throughout the twelve periods of the day, turning and bowing, bending and raising, snapping fingers and clearing the throat, are nothing other than the wondrous function of the Buddha. Since it is the wondrous function of the Buddha, it is not obtained from others. Since it is not obtained from others, neither does it reside in one's own body. Since it does not reside in one's own body, internally nothing is let out, and externally nothing is let in. Since externally nothing is let in, external conditions are put to rest; since internally nothing is let out, the inner mind does not pant. Since the inner mind does not pant and external conditions are put to rest, all wisdom penetrates without obstruction. Since there is no obstruction, all-knowledge is pure, non-dual and without duality, without distinction and without interruption. Right at such a time, it is neither worldly dharma nor world-transcending dharma; grabbing the kingdom of Campā to knock heads with the kingdom of Silla—how could that be extraordinary? Although it is like this, there is still something more. Dare I ask you all: why did National Teacher Zhong say, 'Master Qin was still deluded by Master Ma'? Right now, is there anyone who can settle this? If you can settle this, I grant that all of you are extraordinary people of the Way; if not, Jingshan will close the case based on the confession." After a long pause, he said: "Staying at home, one only says it is easy to be a guest; coming to the fishing trap, one first realizes catching fish is hard."
1.19
Ascending the hall, a monk asked: "At the assembly on Vulture Peak, Kāśyapa personally heard it; before Shaoshi Peak, Shenguang attained the marrow. Right now beneath your seat, who is an intimate friend?" The Master said: "Tear your tongue to pieces." [The monk] advanced and said: "It can be said that in Master Bian's quarry there are many great unpolished jades, and under Lord Mengchang's gate there are plenty of noble guests." The Master said: "No need to drag out rubble and tiles." [The monk] advanced and said: "What can be done about difference before the edge, and selflessness within the phrase?" The Master said: "Who is the intimate friend?" [The monk] advanced and said: "Before the crag of Shaoshi, the golden phoenix dances; atop the peak of Jingshan, the jade rooster crows." The Master said: "A double gong'an." [The monk] asked: "Bodhidharma came from the west, directly transmitting the mind-seal, pointing directly to the human mind to see one's nature and become a buddha. Just as Deshan gave a blow upon entering the gate and Linji gave a shout upon entering the gate, I wonder whether they are the same or different?" The Master made a hissing sound. [The monk] advanced and said: "If so, then without leaving the immediate place it is always serene; seek it, and know it cannot be seen." The Master said: "The fish moves, the water is muddy." [The monk] advanced and said: "What can be done about stepping on a steelyard weight hard as iron?" The Master said: "You haven't touched it." [The monk] advanced and said: "Every place extended and shown, observe carefully and well." The Master said: "I let you off thirty blows." He then said: "No need to arrange, by no means contrive; contriving and arranging, you bind yourself without a rope. Not arranging, not contriving—Sudhana snaps his fingers and ascends the tower, Mimo puts down the pitchfork in his hand, Puhua enters the marketplace ringing his bell."
1.20
Ascending the hall, he cited: "Panshan said: 'The mind moon is solitary and round; its light swallows the myriad forms. The light does not illuminate objects, nor do objects exist. When light and objects are both extinguished, what is it again?' Dongshan said: 'When light and objects are not yet extinguished, what is it again?'" The Master said: "White egrets descend to the field, a thousand flecks of snow; yellow orioles alight on the tree, a single branch of blossoms."
1.21
Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "When Guishan and Yangshan met back then, one stuck his shovel in the ground and the other crossed his hands—what was the meaning?" The Master said, "Two eyes facing two eyes." The monk advanced, saying, "On a stringless zither, few are those who understand the tone; when father and son play it, the style is noble." The Master said, "You tell me: is it where the shovel is stuck, or where the hands are crossed?" The monk advanced, saying, "The line on the pole is manipulated by the master; without disturbing the clear waves, its intent is naturally remarkable." The Master said, "You are going off like that again." He then said, "'Being and non-being are like wisteria leaning on a tree'—the blue-eyed barbarian did not know where it fell. So tell me: where did it fall?" Suddenly taking up his staff, he addressed the great assembly, saying, "Look, look! It comes straight down—quickly fix your eyes on it!" He threw down his staff.
1.22
Having returned from an outing in official service, ascending the hall, he cited: "When my grandfather Master Wuzu returned from an outing in official service, he instructed the assembly, saying: 'I went out in official service for half a month; my eyes did not see my nostrils. I lost the ancestral Chan and picked up a piece of junk. Tell me: where should I place it? One portion is offered to Śākyamuni Buddha, and one portion is offered to the Prabhūtaratna Buddha Pagoda.' Jingshan's dharma grandson went out in official service for more than eighty days; my nostrils constantly met my eyes. There was no ancestral Chan to lose, nor did I ever pick up a piece of junk. Since there is no junk, there is nothing with which to make an offering to Śākyamuni Buddha, nor to the Prabhūtaratna Buddha Pagoda. Ultimately, what was obtained? 'The night is quiet, the water cold, the fish do not bite; / The boat returns empty, loaded only with bright moonlight.'"
1.23
Ascending the hall: "On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month last year, was there such news? On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month this year, there is no such news. Having such news is the business of you people; Jingshan has no part in it. Having no such news is Jingshan's business; you people have no part in it. If someone were to ask Jingshan, 'I wonder what news that is?'" Suddenly taking up his staff, he said, "Do not move! If you move, I will break your donkey back!" He threw down his staff and descended from the seat.
1.24
Ascending the hall on New Year's Day, he took up his staff, made a writing gesture in the air, and said, "Taking up the brush on New Year's morning, all matters are auspicious; receiving blessings according to the season, there is nothing that is not celebrated. If taken as mundane convention, one trips and falls on flat ground; if deliberated further in the Buddha-dharma, one's eyebrows and whiskers fall out." Striking his staff, he descended from the seat.
1.25
Ascending the hall: "Buying iron, one obtains real gold; praying for rain, one gets auspicious snow. The five peaks are carved from jade; a thousand trees bear silver blossoms. The dragon king sends down auspiciousness; Samantabhadra displays ugliness and clumsiness. The secret gate of the Tathāgatas of the three periods leaks out entirely at once today. Even though it is like this, here there is one point open to doubt. Tell me: what is doubted? I fear that after sunrise it will be a complete fiasco."
1.26
Ascending the hall: "During the fine festival of the Lantern Festival, we rejoice together; everywhere, all burn the inexhaustible lamp. The flame blazes and scorches the face of Jayasuriya; the night spirit suddenly suffers a cold headache. Investigate!"
1.27
Ascending the hall, he cited: "A monk asked Changsha, 'How can one turn the mountains, rivers, and the great earth to return to oneself?' Changsha said, 'How can one turn oneself to return to the mountains, rivers, and the great earth?'" The Master said, "Turning the mountains, rivers, and the great earth to return to oneself is easy; turning oneself to return to the mountains, rivers, and the great earth is hard. If anyone can utter a phrase that is neither hard nor easy, let them come to Jingshan's hands and ask to take a blow!"
1.28
Ascending the hall: "In the mid-spring of the second month, the prolonged rain does not clear. Yunmen's single letter: 'Virtue does not have neighbors.'" Then, looking around at the great assembly, he said, "A letter!" Again he said, "It shames one to death."
1.29
When Layman Budong arrived, ascending the hall, a monk asked, "Jingshan deploys the dragon-snake battle array, and the layman comes with a single horse and a lone spear. At such a time, how do they meet?" The Master said, "The old monk beats the retreat drum." The monk advanced, saying, "An old tiger encounters a multi-fanged tiger." The Master said, "Do you still hear the sound of thunder?" The monk advanced, saying, "It is just that this student is used to it." The Master said, "Do not pretend to be clever." The monk advanced, saying, "I invite the Venerable to speak instead." The Master said, "If I speak, you will be smashed to a hundred pieces." The monk advanced, saying, "Then I am delighted for life!" The Master hissed, and then said, "'The eyes empty the universe—wholly without a thing; / Sitting broadly facing the open hall, who dares to peek? / Choosing a buddha and choosing an official are both finished; / Traveling the same road and holding hands, they do not return together.' I venture to ask the great assembly: since they travel the same road and hold hands, why do they not return together? Do not mistake the cry of a crane for the song of an oriole!" He then cited: "Minister Lu Gen asked Nanquan, 'Master Zhao was truly extraordinary; he could say, "Heaven, earth, and I share the same root; the myriad things and I are of one body."' Nanquan then pointed to a flower in front of the courtyard and said to the minister, 'People of the world see this single flower as if in a dream.'" The Master said, "This gong'an has circulated through the monasteries for nearly three hundred years. In that time countless good spiritual friends have appeared in the world, yet not one has ever given a clear judgment on it. Today, Jingshan will decide it for them. If viewed in terms of principle, not only could Nanquan not deceive Lu Gen in the slightest, he had not even touched a single hair under Lu Gen's feet. If viewed in terms of phenomena, not only could Lu Gen not deceive Nanquan in the slightest, he had not even dreamed of Nanquan's sweat stench. If someone should come forward and say, 'The great and small Jingshan speaks of principle and speaks of phenomena,' I would just say to him, 'Just understand it within principle and phenomena!'"
1.30
Ascending the hall: "One does not make a single; two do not make a pair." Giving a shout, he said, "What is it? 'The sword is named Juque; the pearl is called the Night-Shining.'"
1.31
Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "Old Dongshan brought it up like that, and Old Yuanwu brought it up like that; I wonder how the Venerable brings it up?" The Master said, "One hand alone does not clap; two hands sound with a crack." The monk advanced, saying, "Gold is not traded for gold; water does not wash water." The Master said, "You missed it without even knowing." The monk advanced, saying, "Above is heaven, below is earth; what has been missed?" The Master said, "'Gold is not traded for gold; water does not wash water'—well?" The monk advanced, saying, "It comes straight down—quickly fix your eyes and look!" The Master said, "Still unable to leap out." He then cited: "A monk asked Touzi, 'Is there still an extraordinary matter in the entire canon of teachings?' Touzi said, 'Expounding out the great canon of teachings.' Another elder said, 'Expounding into the great canon of teachings.'" The Master said, "As for expounding out and expounding in, the two elders certainly had that. But if it is the extraordinary matter, even in three lifetimes and sixty kalpas they have not dreamed of it yet."
1.32
Ascending the hall on the memorial day of Chan Master Wushang: "Just now, before the drum was struck, Chan Master Wushang had already entered the mud and entered the water for you people, entangling in vines not a little. Jingshan cannot add more mud on top of the dirt." He then descended from the seat.
1.33
Ascending the hall, he cited: "Yongjia said: 'The river moon shines, the pine wind blows; / In the clear night of eternal dusk, what is there to do? / The buddha-nature precept pearl is the seal of the mind ground; / Fog, dew, clouds, and mists are the robe on the body.'" The Master said, "This master deserves thirty blows. Tell me: where is his fault? He should not have stolen property belonging to the Sangha and put it under his robes and bowl."
1.34
Ascending the hall, he cited: "The teaching says: 'One should thus know, thus see, thus have faith and understanding, not producing signs of phenomena.'" The Master held up his fly-whisk and said, "This is Jingshan's fly-whisk; what do you call signs of phenomena? Since signs of phenomena cannot be attained, what do you know? What do you see? In what do you have faith? What do you understand?" Again holding it up, he said, "These are signs of phenomena; what, then, do you call a fly-whisk? Since the fly-whisk cannot be attained, thus knowing, thus seeing, and thus having faith and understanding—what fault is there? Right at such a time, how do you say a turning phrase? A thousand layers, a hundred wraps, with no mutual hindrance; everyone in a quiet place: svāhā!"
1.35
Ascending the hall: "Today is the first of the fourth month again; that matter has no news at all. The patch-robed monks' leather and straw have long been damp; happily, the sun rises from the east. Investigate!"
1.36
Ascending the hall on the Bathing the Buddha festival: "Today is precisely the eighth day of the fourth month; in King Śuddhodana's palace, Siddhārtha was born. Nine dragons came from beyond the sky spouting water; seven lotuses grew from the ground to support his feet. Pointing to his chest and pointing to his ribs, he alone was called the honored one; opening his big mouth, he boasted of himself. Altogether living in the world for more than seventy [years], for forty-nine years he indulged in distress. Fortunately there was the old lame master Yunmen, who at that time wanted to beat him to death with a staff. Everyone says to repay the Buddha's kindness by offering this profound mind to dust-like realms. Only Jingshan does not do so. Since it is not so, what should be done? Descend from the seat, and together go to the hall, where I will explain it thoroughly for you all."
1.37
Ascending the hall, he took up his staff, struck it once, and addressed the great assembly, saying, "Do you still hear?" Holding it up again, he said, "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva has arrived! On the tip of Jingshan's staff, his mouth mutters, saying: 'All conditioned things are impermanent; this is the dharma of arising and ceasing. Arising and ceasing having ceased, quiescent extinction manifests.' Picking up Sumeru on the palm, swinging on a swing inside the eye of a needle—even if you were to see through it thoroughly like this, it is still off from the staff by one hundred and eight thousand [li]. Tell me: what is extraordinary about Jingshan's staff?" Throwing it down, he said, "It is not worth half a coin."
1.38
Ascending the hall: "Jingshan has not an inch of land or estate; this summer we form ties with the assembly as circumstances allow. Indolent in discussing the Way, lazy in talking of Chan, the staff carries them, each one complete and round. No need to quiet the mind or eliminate delusive thoughts; everyone, after eating, gorges and sleeps. Gorging and sleeping are certainly there, but what if in a dream someone demands money for the meal? 'Faintly resembling a tune, it can barely be heard, / But it is blown by the wind into another melody.'"
1.39
Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "The dharmakāya has three kinds of illnesses and two kinds of light. Not asking about the light—I wonder if the dharmakāya possesses the four great elements as well?" The Master said, "It possesses them." The monk advanced, saying, "What is the dharmakāya?" The Master said, "Earth, water, fire, and wind." The monk advanced, saying, "What are the four great elements?" The Master said, "The lacquer bucket is not bright." The monk advanced, saying, "Above the dharmakāya, is there still something more?" The Master said, "Just understand it downwards." He then cited: "A monk asked Zhaozhou, 'Who is the person who has come out?' Zhaozhou said, 'All buddhas and bodhisattvas.'" The Master said, "Great and small Zhaozhou originally lacked courage! If someone were to ask Jingshan, 'Who is the person who has come out?' I would say to him, 'Muddy pigs and mangy dogs.' If he were to say, 'Jingshan's tongue has achieved such freedom,' I would also know that you are a lacquer bucket."
1.40
Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "Resting all machinations and sitting alone in great breadth is still a matter facing downward. What is the matter facing upward?" The Master said, "One must not speak of dreams in front of an idiot." The monk advanced, saying, "The Venerable's three-inch [tongue] is very dense." The Master said, "The eyes of the assembly are hard to deceive." The monk advanced, saying, "What about when a monk asked Dongshan, 'What is the Buddha?' and he said, 'Three pounds of hemp'?" The Master said, "The great roc spreads its wings and covers the ten continents; creatures beside the fence chirp in vain." He then said, "Yesterday it was clear, today it rains; the seasons do not correspond. Look again after three days!" Striking the meditation couch, he descended from the seat.
1.41
Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "'When feelings arise, wisdom is blocked; when thoughts change, the substance differs.' When feelings have not yet arisen, where does the block come from?" The Master said, "Turns out you are just a rice bag." The monk advanced and said, "I do not understand what the meaning is." The Master said, "Blocked." He then took up his staff and brought up: "Sansheng said: 'Whenever I meet someone, I go out, but when I go out, it is not for people's sake.'" Striking once, [the Master] said, "The thief's body is already exposed; he cannot be let off. Xinghua heard this and said: 'Whenever I meet someone, I do not go out, but when I go out, it is for people's sake.'" Striking again, [the Master] said, "Having already exposed the thief's body, he cannot be let off. Generally, when ancestral teachers settle right and wrong, they must open people's eyes; they must not just blindly apply flails and blind sticks. Tell me, what fault do these two old fellows have?" Throwing [the staff] down, he said, "Dragons and snakes are easy to distinguish, but patch-robed monks are difficult to deceive."
1.42
Ascending the hall, [the Master] brought up: "A monk asked Dongshan, 'When cold and heat arrive, how should one avoid them?' Dongshan said, 'Why not go to the place where there is neither cold nor heat?' The monk said, 'What is the place where there is neither cold nor heat?' Dongshan said, 'When it is cold, it freezes the ācārya to death; when it is hot, it scorches the ācārya to death.' Another monk asked an elder master, 'The weather is so hot, where should one go to avoid it?' The elder said, 'Avoid it inside the boiling cauldron and glowing coals.' The monk said, 'How can one avoid it inside the boiling cauldron and glowing coals?' The elder said, 'The multitude of sufferings cannot reach there.'" The Master said, "Of the two elders, one extended his hands within the cold and heat, and the other extended his hands outside the cold and heat. The one who extended his hands within the cold and heat did not see the characteristics of cold and heat; the one who extended his hands outside the cold and heat was thoroughly cold and heat from head to toe. When Jingshan speaks like this, can you all distinguish it clearly? If you can distinguish it clearly, [it is like] Tiantai in the south and Wutai in the north; if you cannot distinguish it clearly, today is hotter than yesterday."
1.43
Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "The teachings say: 'Dust-mote by dust-mote preaches, land by land preaches, without cessation.' I wonder what serves as the tongue?" The Master struck the right corner of the meditation couch once. The monk advanced and said, "The World-Honoured One speaks without speaking; Kāśyapa hears without hearing." The Master struck the left corner of the meditation couch once. The monk advanced and said, "I also know that today the command is not executed in vain." The Master said, "What do you know of good and bad?" He then brought up: "Zhaozhou asked Nanquan, 'Where does a person who knows there is That go?' Nanquan said, 'He goes to the house of a donor in front of the mountain to become a water buffalo.' Zhaozhou said, 'I thank you, Master, for answering my question.' Nanquan said, 'Last night at the third watch, the moon reached the window.' Yunfeng said, 'If Nanquan had not had this subsequent remark, he would almost have had Caizhou breached.'" The Master said, "Old Yunfeng lost an eye. He completely failed to realize that it was precisely because of this subsequent remark that Caizhou was breached on the spot."
1.44
Ascending the hall, [the Master] brought up: "Xinghua said to the karmadāna Kebin, 'Before long, you will become a guiding teacher.' Kebin said, 'I will not enter this association.' Xinghua said, 'Do you not enter having understood, or do you not enter without understanding?' Kebin said, 'Neither is the case at all.' Xinghua struck him and said, 'The karmadāna Kebin did not win the Dharma battle; he is fined five strings of cash and must provide a hall full of rice gruel.' The next day, Xinghua himself struck the gavel and said, 'The karmadāna Kebin did not win the Dharma battle; he is fined five strings of cash and must provide a hall full of rice gruel, and he must still leave the monastery.' Master Yunju Shun said, 'The refined gold from the great furnace should not change color; yet Xinghua's enforcement of the command was overly severe. If it had not been the karmadāna Kebin, it would have been exceedingly hard to bear. If it were like today's mediocre lot, how many times would they have turned their faces in anger?'" The Master said, "Yunju speaking like this cannot avoid bending the crooked to make it straight. Jingshan is not like that: if you want to be a glorious descendant of Linji, you must turn your face in anger before you can attain it."
1.45
Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "Linji said, 'After my passing, you must not destroy my treasury of the true Dharma eye.' Sansheng came forward and said, 'Who would dare destroy the Venerable's treasury of the true Dharma eye?' What is the treasury of the true Dharma eye?" The Master said, "Yanxian, that thief—how could he understand the treasury of the true Dharma eye?" The monk advanced and said, "Linji said, 'If someone asks you, what then?' Sansheng then gave a shout. Linji said, 'Who knew that my treasury of the true Dharma eye would be extinguished beside this blind donkey!' What does this mean?" The Master said, "Profit stirs even a gentleman." He then brought up: "The king of Kashmir, holding a sword, asked Venerable Āryasiṃha, 'Have you attained the emptiness of the aggregates?' The Venerable said, 'I have already attained the emptiness of the aggregates.' The king said, 'Have you escaped birth and death?' The Venerable said, 'I have already escaped birth and death.' The king said, 'Can you give me your head?' The Venerable said, 'My body is not mine; how much less the head.' The king then cut it off: white milk [spurted] over ten feet high, and the king's arm fell off of itself. Xuedou said, 'An adept monarch! The natural [sovereignty] is still present.' Master Huanglong Xin said, 'Huanglong wishes to ask Xuedou: Since he was an adept monarch, why did his arm fall off?'" The Master said, "That fellow Meng Balang has gone off like that again!"
First 45 of 47 passages. Read on
Linked texts (1)
- 大慧普覺禪師語錄 — Classical Chinese